


The Boy-Who-Died

by Kades



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-19
Updated: 2012-08-19
Packaged: 2017-11-12 11:17:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/490297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kades/pseuds/Kades
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Boy never knew who he was, not until the end. While the wizarding world mourned the boy who lived only one man mourned the death of Harry, just Harry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Boy-Who-Died

In Little Whinning many of the homes were near identical, same colour and style. Privet Drive was no different. The houses lined up side by side, were interchangeable, at least on the outside. However while the houses were uniform, the people who lived on Privet Drive were as diverse as any middle-upperclass neighborhood could be. In number one, Gladys Lowell, a seventy-year old widow lived with a number of cats as her only companions. Across the street from Mrs Lowell, in number two lived Mr Paul Gruber a crotchety old man in his late fifties. Number three was home to Sasha and Elijah Rystenik, who had immigrated from Russia in the seventies. Number five was currently for sale and number six was the home of Elise Richardson and her elderly mother Elisabeth. Number seven was the home of Zachariah and Rebekah Miles, who was currently six months pregnant with their first child. In number eight Peter Sampson and Daniel Poole lived, they had been the talk of the neighbourhood when they had moved in a little over a year previously. Number nine housed Kristy Noble, a single mother of two children, Aaron, aged 5 and Katrina, 2. Number eleven was the home of Kelly and Mark Rowan and their seven year old daughter Georgia. And so it continued with people from different cultures and walks of life, people who were married, single, divorced and de facto.

However it is the residents of number four Privet Drive who held a dark secret, there was a little boy, a freak of nature, who lived within the walls of their home. Boy and Freak were the only names he knew, he didn't know where he came from, all he knew was that Sir, Madam and Master were kind enough to take him into their home and look after him. Boy always knew he was different, why else could no one ever love him, because he was strange and abnormal. Boy often wondered about death, a concept he didn't fully understand, except to know that Sir and Madam believed that death was too good for the likes of him. 

Then came the letters, Boy could read, but only because Madam didn't like to cook. But who was Harry Potter. Although Boy didn't know who this Harry Potter was, Boy knew that the letters made his uncle very angry. Boy was beaten and then thrown into his cupboard without food or water. This was normal behaviour so did not surprise Boy, he was often punished when something strange happened, or Dudley got him into trouble, if Uncle had a bad day at work, if Boy didn't do his chores well enough; whenever something went wrong Boy was beaten. Boy had received many beatings during his time with Sir and Madam but this time was different, this time Boy knew he was dying. How he knew he would never be able to explain, just that he had feeling.

Sir didn't stop for a long time, Boy had felt his skin bleed and now he didn't hurt anymore, Boy knew when the pain was gone it was bad. Boy had not had any food or water for many days and now he lay waiting in the cupboard he knew death was coming, but he wasn't afraid. After all when he died he hoped he could see his parents again. He barely remembered them, they had died when he was just over a year old, that was the only thing he knew about them, he had never been told their names or anything about them, except that they had died in a car accident.

In a place beyond the human eye, a world of spirits, memories and dreams, James and Lily Potter watched as the life slowly left the son they had died to protect, with tears in their eyes the waited, knowing he would soon join them, decades before his time.   
Finally Death came for Boy. On the eleventh anniversary of Boy's birth, not that boy knew that. In death, Boy was met by a beautiful women with red hair and vibrant green eyes, with her was a tall man with shaggy black hair and glasses. “Hello son, our baby Harry” they greeted him, and for the first time in ten years Harry knew his name. Tears leaked down his face as Lily and James hugged him tight for the first time in ten long years.

As boy met his parents in death another meeting was taking place, this time in the prestigious Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, between the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore and the schools potion teacher and head of Slytherin House, Severus Snape.  
“Severus, Harry Potter, hasn't replied to his letters,”  
“And this concerns me why Headmaster? Minerva is in charge of admissions, the spoiled brat is probably expecting royal treatment” Professor Severus Snape responded coldly, his dislike of the father overcoming any concern he might have had for the son.  
“Now, I know you had your troubles with the boy's father, but remember he is Lily's son aswell, Severus, and a staff member needs to take him to get his school things as he was raised by muggles after all. Minerva was planning on taking today, however she has come down with the wizard's flu, and the others are yet to return from their holidays, I would go myself except I have been called to the ministry” said headmaster Dumbledore   
“Fine, I'll attend to the boy, if that is all,” Dumbledore nodded his head “than I shall take my leave”

Severus Snape had despised James Potter and his friends, they were cruel, arrogant brats and he had no doubt that the boy was the same as his father, after all with a moniker like the Boy-Who-Lived how could he not be arrogant and spoiled. As he approached number 4 Privet Drive, Surrey he saw the uniformity of the houses, and sneered. He knocked on the door, which was opened by an older Petunia Evans, now Dursley who he remembered from his childhood.   
“Yes, how can I help you?” obviously Tuney didn't remember him.  
“Mrs. Dursley, my name is Severus Snape and I am here about your nephew, Harry Potter.” her eyes had flashed at his name, so she hasn't forgotten me, Snape thought  
“I'm sorry but I don't have a nephew. Now please leave my property.” Severus Snape knew immediately that something was wrong; so instead of leaving as Petunia tried to close the door in his face he pushed past her and pulled out his wand. Petunia replied with a screech  
“get out of my house you freak, before I call the police.”  
Severus ignored her and moved further into the house, with a simple 'point me, Harry Potter' his wand moved and pointed towards the cupboard under the stairs.

He moved quickly, opening the door, nothing, not even his days as a death eater, could have prepared him for what he found, this small emaciated child, beaten to an inch of his life was supposed to be Harry Potter, it couldn't be, everyone knew that Potter was living the high life, waited on hand and foot, yet the evidence clearly stated otherwise. Severus first thoughts where to get the child to safety, but then he noticed that there was no sound, no breath, with a light touch, he discovered that the body was cold. This boy had died several days past, his magic no longer able to sustain him. With tears in his eyes Severus, carefully wrapped the child in a conjured blanket casting a spell to prevent the Dursley's from scrubbing the cupboard clean and a second spell to prevent them from leaving the house, before apparating away.

When Severus arrived at Hogesmede, for it was impossible to apparate within the grounds of Hogwarts, he moved quickly towards the school and into the headmaster's office. Where Dumbledore stood in shock,   
“Is he..?”  
“He's gone, old man” Severus snapped, how many of this school's children had he tried to help, as their parents beat them, fear of magic was strong, but Dumbledore always believed that blood could not hurt each other. Yet here, a boy of eleven, looking no older than eight was viciously murdered by his own flesh and blood, a boy destined to rid them of the evil of the Dark Lord, destroyed by the lowest form of human.  
Dumbledore fell back into his chair in shock, he had failed to keep the child safe, believing that Petunia would not harm her sister's child, despite her jealousy. He had come to a decision.  
“Take him to the hospital wing, he will be buried at Godric's Hollow, with his parents, he will be remembered in death as we forgot him in life”

Days passed and the funeral of Harry James Potter drew close, many mourned the loss of a boy that they didn't know, others called for the swift punishment of the Dursleys, some were angry or resigned, or those like Lucius Malfoy, who had tried to gain custody of the child, only to be railroaded by Dumbledore, wanted the laws to change. A magical child, especially one as important as their saviour should never have been placed with muggles. 

In all several thousand people traveled to Hogwarts, to farewell there saviour, but not one person knew him. In the end he was really alone. Over time the laws did change in Britain, a magical orphanage was created and muggle-borns were monitored closely from birth until they graduated from Hogwarts or one of the other magical schools. The Dursley's were arrested by muggle police and tried for murder after Dumbledore transfigured an exact duplicate of young Harry's body and placing it in their home. A call to the police station and their fates were secured. But as time passed, people began to forget Harry Potter, only one man was present at the graveside on the fifth anniversary of his death. Severus Snape. 

Professor Snape stood staring at the tombstone, reading over the inscription:  
Harry James Potter  
The Boy-Who-Lived  
July 31st 1980 – July 31st 1991  
Snape sneered Harry had never lived, and using his wand he added the small details of a stag and doe running side by side across the bottom of the gravestone. Since the death of Harry Potter, Severus had let go of the past and could now be civil to Remus Lupin the last remaining marauder, Sirius Black had escaped Azkaban two years ago, only to surrender to the dementor's after learning of his godson's death at the hands of his aunt and uncle, after his demise the dead body of Peter Pettigrew had been discovered in the Shrieking Shack.  
“I'm so sorry Lily, that I could not protect your son”  
Snape then turned facing the graves of Lily and James Potter, bowed once before turning away.

Snape never noticed three people watching him, shimmering and ethereal in the morning light, two adults, one child. The young boy had the woman's eyes but was a carbon copy of the man.   
“I forgive you Severus” Lily whispered, letting it carry on the wind  
Snape turned around, he could have sworn he heard Lily say she forgave him, tears falling down his face has he disappeared with a crack. As they watched the dark man leave James spoke   
“Come Harry, Sirius is waiting for us” and the three figures disappeared, they would only appear twice more, at the death of Remus J. Lupin, a mere seven years after Harry's death, the wolf finally killing him. They appeared again when Severus met death, many years later, having finally succumbed to age.


End file.
